Happy Anniversary, ChildFund Brasil!

Just as ChildFund is celebrating its 75th year, ChildFund Brasil also marked 47 years of operations in the country. Staff members celebrated on Aug. 30 with a visit to ChildFund programs in Belo Horizonte, spending time with some of the children they help support.

“ChildFund Brasil completed 47 years of expertise and commitment to build a better Brazil,” said ChildFund Brasil’s board president, Valseni Braga. “There is much to celebrate with the numerous social programs and poverty-reduction strategies that positively impact the lives of children, adolescents, young people and their families. Everything that has been built so far would not have happened without the support of sponsors, partners, donors, volunteers, supporters and suppliers.”

A visit with ChildFund-supported children in Belo Horizonte, Brazil.

In 1966, ChildFund arrived in Brazil. Many of the children helped in our early days there are now adults who are happy and fulfilled because they had better opportunities. But much remains to be done. More than 8 million children and youths live below the poverty line in Brazil. ChildFund Brasil assists more than 188,000 people, 108,000 of whom are children and youth.

Key to its efforts is ChildFund Brasil’s partnership with more than 60 social organizations, which work in more than 800 urban and rural communities.

“There are many challenges,” Braga noted, “but confidence in our work and hope to witness real change drives us to continue with our dream.”

2 Responses to Happy Anniversary, ChildFund Brasil!

About 20 years ago, I heard on radio-NPR that in Rio shop-owners would come out at night and shoot any lone roaming children as if they were rats to be gotten rid of. I cried for days. Please relieve me of that grief. Has that killing stopped? I love this picture of these precious happy girls! God must surely have big plans for them!

Tragically, many children around the world face danger and exploitation. Although ChildFund does not have operations in Rio, our colleagues in Brazil report that the isolated situation you heard about from 20 years ago likely stemmed from drug violence versus a common occurrence. Work continues at local, state and federal levels to make major cities like Rio safer for children.